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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

"Pi" Cake with Portillos Chocolate Cake for Cherise

What is a "Pi" Cake you might ask? "Pi" is the mathematical constantfortheratioofthecircumferenceofacircletoitsdiameter, theratioitself:3.141592+. It has been represented by the Greek letter "π". I made this "Pi" cake for Cherise, my daughter-in-law, who was an engineering major in college, and loves all things "Pi". When I was looking on the web for all things, "Pi, I saw that someone had made a "Pi" shaped cake, so I had to make this for her. I didn't have time to take a picture before we left for Chicago on Saturday,

She loved her "Pi" cake, and was so surprised. I used a knock off recipe for Portillos chocolate cake. I needed a firm cake to cut out the design, and Portillos chocolate cake recipe is firm. I knew that because I used to work at Portillos in the Catering Dept.and have eaten a lot of Portillos Chocolate cake over the years. I baked two 9x9 cake layers, doubling the knock off recipe, and put chocolate frosting between the layers., Then, Scott cut out the design free hand, without a template, that's his "artist's eye". Unbelievable!!! He did a wonderful job!!. I couldn't have made the cake without his help. That's why we make such a great team. After the design was cut out, I frosted the cake with Vanilla Butter Cream frosting, so the design would stand out. I made Todd his ususal Apple Crisp, because he doesn't like chocolate. I didn't have time to take pictures before we left for Chicago on Saturday, so these pics were taken at night, inside.We were going to Chicago Saturday to celebrate Cherise and Todd's birthday's, plus see my son, Chris, run his first marathon in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. We had a busy weekend. It was so much fun, and my Granddaughter and her boyfriend came for the weekend, too. Chris and his wife stayed at a hotel downtown, and we stayed at Todd's in Wrigleyville. We got to see Chris at the 8 mile mark in Lakeview, and after the race. 38,000 people finished the race.

My son Chris is just to left of the policeman, in the white hat, orange shirt, bkack shorts and white socks, looking for us. There were so many people cheering the runners on, it was hard to find your runner.

These pictures are at the reunion center, where the runners reunited with their families in Grant Park. After the race they, give the runners mylar warming blankets and they wrap them around themselves, like capes. The weather was perfect for runners, high 30's to start the race and in the 50's by noon.

My Son, Chris and Daughter-in-Law Emily

Proud Uncle Chris, and Niece, Aria

Cheise and Todd

Portillos Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Butter Recipe
Cake Mix

3 eggs

1 cup ice cold water

1 cup Hellman’s Mayonaise

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Spray and flour desired pans. I used two 9X9 pans, so I doubled the recipe, and had leftovers for cupcakes

Combine cake mix, eggs, water, and mayonnaise in a
large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes until fluffy.

Pour into prepared pans

Follow baking instructions on box for your choice of pan.

Test for doneness

Cool in pans 10 min. remove to rack to cool

Cook's Note:

I
used two recipes of the Portillos Chocolate Cake to make the "Pi" Cake.
Because I didn't know how much batter it would take to fill a 9X 9 pan,
I made each box, one at a time. I filled one 9 x9 pan, and then used
the remaining batter for cupcakes, then I repeated the process for the
second 9X9 pan.

Vanilla Butter Cream
Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 c butter, room temperature

2c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c more or less milk, or half and half I used almond milk

Cream butter with an electric mixer, until light and
fluffy.Gradually add in powdered sugar
and vanilla, and mix well, Add milk until desired consistency. Pipe or frost
cupcakes

Becky, So sweet of you to make a Pi cake for Cherise, and what a lovely visit to Chicago to cheer your son on in the race. Im not familiar with Portillos chocolate cake, but I will be now. I hope your trip was wonderful!

I obviously need to go back to school because I forgot what Pi stood for. Love all the photos you took, I can't believe you managed to get a shot of him running by. That is so amazing, way to go Chris. I bet you made your daughter-in-laws birthday that much more special. Never had a chocolate cake like this, but I love chocolate cake any which way.-Gina-